Seattle had a growing Latino population in the late 1960s, and activists had been pressing the city for a building in which to establish a Chicano community center. Tired of having their requests ignored, in October 1972 they took over the abandoned Beacon Hill School on 16th Avenue South and renamed it El Centro de la Raza. After a 75-day occupation and ongoing negotiations - including a sit-in at the Mayor's office - the city finally acquiesced in June 1973, subleasing the Seattle School District building to the group for $1 a year. As of 2022, El Centro de la Raza community center continues to operate in the same building, providing services and advocacy for the Latino community and other residents of the Beacon Hill area.

This photo shows Roberto Maestas (1938-2010) and an unidentified woman inside one of the classrooms in the occupied Beacon Hill School. A sign taped above the door frame reads "Chicano ESL Office." Maestas was a Mexican-American activist in Seattle and one of the leaders of the group occupying the school. He went on to become Executive Director of El Centro de la Raza, serving in that position until 2009.

Caption information source: Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project at University of Washington, page at http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/slides_Chicano.htm